The Convention opened for signature on 23 June 1985

The Convention opened for signature on 23 June 1985

Trafficking in human organs is an emerging criminal activity which presents a clear danger to both individual and public health, while breaching human rights and fundamental freedoms. The Council of Europe Convention against Trafficking in Human Organs seeks to protect individual rights by addressing this illegal act from a criminal law perspective. The Convention aims to tackle this crime both at national and international levels by harmonising national legislation, identifying the various offences that constitute trafficking in human organs and laying down the foundation for more efficient cross-border co-operation. It also covers preventive measures and the legal situation of the victims. Wide accession to the Convention is essential in the fight against a crime that is, more often than not, transnational in scope.

The fight against today's new forms of criminality, across Europe and beyond, can only succeed if we have the necessary tools, in particular through effective mechanisms dealing with extradition. For over fifty years, the Council of Europe has been developing a set of instruments dealing with extradition, be it in the form of conventions or resolutions and recommendations to member states. This publication presents notes and comments on the Council of Europe's legal instruments on extradition. It includes the current status of the case law of the European Court of Human Rights on extradition matters and on other transnational criminal proceedings. It also brings together the non-binding instruments on extradition adopted by the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers. Practitioners, policy makers and researchers dealing with extradition matters will find this publication a useful and up-to-date reference document.

In the post-9/11 era, the nexus between organized crime and terrorism has raised much concern and has been widely discussed in both academic and policy circles, but is still largely misunderstood. This critical book contributes innovatively to the debate by distinguishing three types of nexus—interaction, transformation/imitation and similarities—and identifying the promoting factors of each type.